The Big Picture
by Catwho
Summary: Shounen-ai. Sesshoumaru heard that a hanyou has been sealed, and he wonders if it was Inu-Yasha. Commissioned by Tdei.


Big Picture

**Big Picture**

a shonen-ai fic for tdei ^_^

Disclaimer: Inu-yasha ain't mine. It's Takahashi-sama's. Dun sue.

WARNING: This is a shonen-ai fic. It contains a controversial, somewhat incestuous pairing. Don't read if you don't like this stuff. You have been WARNED.

* * *

"They say that a half breed has been sealed," the trees whispered. "They say he fell in love with a human . . . and she sealed him. Well, good riddance. One less hanyou running around."

Sesshoumary paused, his sensitive ears catching the patterns in the sough of the trees. A hanyou has been sealed, hmm? That meant it was half taiyoukai. The only hanyou who had enough youkai blood in them had to be children of taiyoukai. A regular youkai's blood wasn't strong enough to be sealed by a human's power.

But the only child of a taiyoukai running around right now is . . . 

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru said suddenly. "Who is the hanyou that has been sealed?"

"N-no one knows, Sesshoumaru-sama," his retainer said, trembling. "Just that a miko got him with an arrow through the heart."

"I see," Sesshoumaru answered. The two continued on through the forest.

* * *

But later, when he was back in his lair, Sesshoumaru pondered over the sealing of the hanyou some more. Of all the children of taiyoukai, only Inu-Yasha had managed to survive. Beautiful, imperfect Inu-Yasha. The runt. The shame of the great dog demon family. 

The one person that Sesshoumaru hated now more than anything else.

Chichi-hue died defending the runt's mother, Tomiko, Sesshoumaru thought for the thousandth time, with as much bitterness as the first, even if it wasn't precisely true. Inutaisho had died at the hands of the dragon clan, who had been after him for years. But while Sesshoumaru hadn't minded Tomiko much, as she was as powerful a human as any could be, he had hated his half brother from the very start. Inu-Yasha had been the apple of his father's eye when Inutaisho was alive, and Sesshoumaru had been jealous.

And after the runt's mother died of loneliness, Inu-Yasha had grown up wild. Alone. Sesshoumaru had expected him to die before he was ten. But to his surprise, the runt had stubbornly survived on. 

"He was near Edo," Sesshoumaru said to the air, and suddenly decided to take a small trip himself.

* * *

"Ne, onii-sama, when is chichi-hue coming back?"

"How should I know?"

"He's never been gone this long before . . ." 

"Chichi-hue has been gone for much longer. He's nearly a thousand years old. A half-breed like you wouldn't understand that sort of length of time. His absence this evening means nothing."

"But what if he doesn't come back?"

"Do not worry. And please stop that whimpering . . ."

"Sorry, onii-sama. I'll be good."

"See that you do."

* * *

Sesshoumaru traveled quickly in his dragon-chariot until he reached the eastern lands around Edo. The smell of youkai was thick here as well, but Sesshoumaru caught the unmistakeable scent of Inu-Yasha among the thousands of notes. He guided his dragons down into a clearing, and followed the scent to a sacred tree, where a youkai was pinned by an arrow.

"It was you, Inu-Yasha," Sesshoumaru said to the unmoving body. "You fell in love with a human . . . and look where it got you." Sesshoumaru looked sadly on his lifeless half-brother, and he approached the body carefully, in case there were other magical wards around the tree besides the arrow. But the coast was clear . . . whomever had done this to Inu-Yasha had not had time to finish the job properly.

Just like chichi-hue didn't have time to finish it . . . that miko must have died as well.

Inu-Yasha was wearing stained magenta robes. Sesshoumaru wondered if he should dare to try to take the arrow out, but then thought better of it. The arrow had sealed Inu-Yasha, and it could probably seal him just as easily. So instead, he gently picked up his half-brother's chin, turning the lifeless face toward his own. Inu-Yasha's body was cool to the touch, but he was only sealed, not dead.

"If the arrow is removed," Sesshoumaru said, peering still closer to Inu-Yasha's face, "then you will be just like new. But no one will be so stupid as to remove the arrow now. You've really done it to yourself, Inu-Yasha. Just like chichi-hue."

* * *

"Onii-sama . . . "

"I know. Chichi-hue still isn't back yet."

"'Ka-san is crying, onii-chan. She says she saw what happened."

"She most likely did. She's always been an odd one."

"But chichi-hue IS coming back, right?"

"I don't . . . know."

"I'm scared, onii-sama."

"Inu-yasha . . . don't cry. Chichi-hue wouldn't want you to cry."

* * *

Sesshoumaru was more than a little surprised when he felt a tear sliding down his cheek. Youkai don't cry, he reminded himself. We have nothing to cry over.

But chichi-hue went and got himself killed, and then he hid his grave without telling anyone where. I've been searching for twelve years, and I still haven't found it. Then Tomiko died. And now you're sealed, Inu-Yasha. I'm the only one from our rag-tag family left alive . . .

The sleeping halfling looked so innocent and peaceful that Sesshoumaru couldn't help but touch one of his lips. They were cold, but still moistened, as though Inu-Yasha had licked them just moments ago. Hesitantly, Sesshoumaru pressed a kiss onto those cold lips, as if he could wake his brother up with willpower alone. But it was to no avail, and with a sigh Sesshoumaru stepped back.

"I, Sesshoumaru, will forget about you, then," he said to the sealed body, feeling oddly hollow inside. He also felt light-headed. What did I just do? he asked himself as he boarded his dragon chariot. I just kissed . . . my own brother. The imperfect half-breed. The runt.

If anyone asks me if I knew about Inu-Yasha's state, I shall feign ignorance, Sesshoumaru decided. I have seen nothing, only heard rumours. No one must know.

No one can know that my little runt of a half brother grew up so beautiful.

_End._


End file.
